Honouring Contribution: UAE Names A Street In Abu Dhabi After Indian-Origin Doctor (Photo @georgysthomas)
Honouring an Indian-origin doctor for his contributions to the country, the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has named a road in the UAE’s capital city, Abu Dhabi after him.
The decision was made as part of the program named “Honouring UAE’s Visionaries: Commemorative Streets” which aims to recognise the contribution of individuals to the Emirate’s development. The 84-year-old doctor from Kerala, George Matthew, first arrived in the Gulf nation in 1966 at the age of 26 before the unification of the UAE.
Read Also: Indian Millionaires Are Migrating To This Country And The Number Is Too High
George Matthew was a witness to the country’s transformation in all sectors including the medical field, and he contributed to shaping the modern medical facilities in the then-evolving nation.
While speaking about the time he arrived, the doctor says the infrastructure was still evolving. “Inspired by the late Sheikh Zayed, the father of the nation, I dedicated myself to helping the people. I am deeply grateful that my efforts have been recognised,” he said, adding that he had planned to move to the US, but was persuaded by a missionary friend, Sheikh Zayed’s description of Al Ain’s beauty.
He was also the first doctor to work in a government hospital in Al Ain, and his application for a position as Al Ain’s first government doctor was successful, leading to the opening of the first clinic under Sheikh Zayed’s blessing, Matthew remembers.
Read Also: UAE To Add Nearly 30,000 Millionaires In Next 5 Years: Report
After graduating from Trivandrum Medical College, Matthew moved to the UAE with his wife after marriage. The doctor remembers his first meeting with the UAE founder Sheikh Zayed “One night, a local resident attending the Majlis in Al Ain was injured. I treated him with the materials I had in a temporary setup, and he was healed. He shared this experience with Sheikh Zayed. After checking his injury, Sheikh Zayed said: ‘He is a good doctor’, and his words gave me great inspiration,” Khaleej Times quotes the doctor.
Notably, Dr Matthew moved to England to learn the management of tropical diseases and later to Harvard to learn hospital management. He then became a valuable source of medical knowledge for the Al Ain community.
